How to measure the impact of Science in the Society / Cómo medir el impacto de la Ciencia en la Sociedad

Second Issue of the Third Volume of the SISOBserver Journal / Segundo Número del Tercer Volumen de la revista SISOBserver

The SISOB research team has the pleasure to present the sixth issue of SISOBserver. It is part of the dissemination activities of the SISOB project and contains material which reflects our work for the project during the last months. SiSOBserver feeds on the project presence on the social networks. Therefore, we may venture to say that SiSOBserver is not just a journal, but a platform for exchanging ideas and experience between the agents involved in the production and dissemination of Knowledge.

We come back again to offer you a new issue of SiSOBserver. This time, however, is turn to join presentation and farewell. For three years, we have sought to live up to the commitment we entered into with our followers and maintain the identity of the SiSOB project regarding this journal format and the contents offered over the six issues of SiSOBserver.

We have attempted to collect and develop the most innovative contents in connection with the subject as well as others which were of interest to us or our readers. Thus, SiSOBserver has maintained two main sets of issues throughout its three years of life: one linked to the job done for the SiSOB project, and the other which has been the result of various trends with a significant role in the development of the project.

Thus, we have shown the results obtained over the course of the project in combination with those achieved as the result of the interaction between our partners, especially in relation to the study cases and the SiSOB tool. On the other hand, we have been part of and also reported the new trends and research networks, for example, on subjects related to current technology like Open Access, Open Aire, Open Data, Orcid, etc., and also on current issues of the European Commission, governance, calls, etc. They all have a link to the project, its functioning and subject.

Our followers have clearly witnessed the progression of the project over the course of the six issues of the journal. We have attempted to be leaders in our area by having the direct testimony of people and researchers who have told us about their job and given their own view on aspects like scientometrics, research evaluation, etc., or they have just given us an advance on significant issues like the European research programme Horizon 2020.

SiSOBserver was founded as an essential link within the SiSOB communication structure and it has given us the opportunity to reach the three main goals of scientific communication, and hence, of SiSOB: open access, interactivity and information exchange. That is, it has enabled us to publish in open-access format those contents which we have considered should be known by our sphere of influence; it has also enabled us to interact with the scientific community, regardless of whether it was close or not to our sphere of influence, who have shown their interest in the topics addressed. The same has happened with the society, with which we have also interacted. Finally, we have set up a network of contacts and collaboration which may be the beginning of new research experiences and relationships.

The links between SiSOBserver and all the social networks have been constant contributing to complete the circuit we wanted to create. We have kept updated both the journal and SiSOBlog in other specialized and general social networks like Linkedin, Facebook or Twitter allowing us to be loyal to our goal of reaching science to the society and making it part of it.

In the first issue of our journal we said that “We want SiSOBserver to become the tool for knowledge and communication available to everyone. The spirit of this journal is to listen and disseminate information”. We hope not to have failed your expectations and reach that goal. We have attempted to be honest, and we have also learnt too much, especially that science and communication are part of the same spirit: to make a better world and a more understandable environment for everyone.

The farewell of the team of the SiSOB Project is not a matter of good bye but “see you soon”!!